A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Distractors Identified Through Stimulus Preference Assessment Versus Caregiver Opinion

The effect of a distraction-based intervention on positive affect and aggressive and distress-related behaviors during morning activities of daily living in an elderly dementia patient was tested. Concurrently, the effectiveness of distractors chosen by staff and family report as compared to those chosen through a stimulus preference assessment (SPA) was tested. An alternating treatment design was used to implement identified distractors and a direct observation system was used to measure outcomes. Though staff reported increases in positive affect when using an edible chocolate distractor, no significant changes in positive affect or distress related behaviors were noted by the end of the final treatment phase when compared to initial baseline responding. This was likely due, in part, to the participant\u27s decline in physical health over the course of the study. With regard to the comparison of methods for identifying distractors, data tended to support the usefulness of a SPA for identifying effective distractors over that of family opinion, but was equally as effective as caregiver opinion. Further research is needed to better understand these outcomes

Advantages of “Function Domain Sets” Confidence Intervals Over Hypotheses Comparison Tests of One Mean Residual Life (MRL) Function Dominating an Improved Baseline and of Two MRL Functions Comparisons with Applications in Modern Engineered Composite Wood Products: One Sample and Two Sample Cases. Also Exploring General Theory, Insights, and Applications of MRL Functions

In this thesis, we analyze mean residual life (MRL) functions and unique “function domain sets” confidence intervals to identify important opportunities for improving quality of medium density fiberboard (MDF). We stress these tools have tremendous potential for many other forest products (e.g., various composites, natural woods), not just MDF. These “function domain sets” confidence intervals can assess variation in quality where one MRL function dominates an industrial baseline. Assessments of the internal bond of MDF illuminate opportunities for helpful improvements, plus perform valid statistical comparisons of different types of MDF. For example, these MRL methods detect a new, higher-valued MDF product that represents an opportunity for an MDF producer to increase revenues or reduce costs due to excess MRL for a subgroup. These MRL methods can be used as diagnostics of a MDF manufacture process needing adjustments, etc. We provide MAPLE 10 code to implement these MRL procedures. Typical traditional confidence intervals for a MRL function are centered about the function. “Function domain sets” intervals, however, produce novel statements like: “we are 95% confident that the MRL function, e(t), is greater than another function for all t in the domain set [0, θˆ ).” We study “function domain sets” intervals on internal bonds (tensile strengths) for various MDF products. The values of MRL analyses have been demonstrated in a variety of applications beyond MDF production. The usefulness of the MRL function in other areas suggests that it has considerable potential value for the forest products industry. Recent, MRL applications vary from modern accelerated stress testing using proportional MRL modeling, to fuzzy set engineering modeling, to maintenance and replacement of bridges in Europe, to better decision making on materials in nuclear power plants, to general applications in evaluating “degrading” systems. We anticipate that varied analyses of MRL functions and “function domain sets” confidence intervals will furnish practitioners useful tools in many fields. Applications to different areas are highlighted to demonstrate the increasing usefulness and potential of MRL methods in many industries, government agencies, and future academic research

Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change to the Department of the Interior

PDF of powerpoint presentation given at the workshop The Economic Impacts of Sea-Level Rise in Hampton Roads: An Appraisal of the Projects Underway on May 18, 2016 at the Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center, 1030 University Blvd, Suffolk, VA 2343

High-Pressure Synthesis of a Pentazolate Salt

The pentazolates, the last all-nitrogen members of the azole series, have been notoriously elusive for the last hundred years despite enormous efforts to make these compounds in either gas or condensed phases. Here we report a successful synthesis of a solid state compound consisting of isolated pentazolate anions N5-, which is achieved by compressing and laser heating cesium azide (CsN3) mixed with N2 cryogenic liquid in a diamond anvil cell. The experiment was guided by theory, which predicted the transformation of the mixture at high pressures to a new compound, cesium pentazolate salt (CsN5). Electron transfer from Cs atoms to N5 rings enables both aromaticity in the pentazolates as well as ionic bonding in the CsN5 crystal. This work provides a critical insight into the role of extreme conditions in exploring unusual bonding routes that ultimately lead to the formation of novel high nitrogen content species

Neural correlates of weighted reward prediction error during reinforcement learning classify response to cognitive behavioral therapy in depression

While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for major depressive disorder, only up to 45% of depressed patients will respond to it. At present, there is no clinically viable neuroimaging predictor of CBT response. Notably, the lack of a mechanistic understanding of treatment response has hindered identification of predictive biomarkers. To obtain mechanistically meaningful fMRI predictors of CBT response, we capitalize on pretreatment neural activity encoding a weighted reward prediction error (RPE), which is implicated in the acquisition and processing of feedback information during probabilistic learning. Using a conventional mass-univariate fMRI analysis, we demonstrate that, at the group level, responders exhibit greater pretreatment neural activity encoding a weighted RPE in the right striatum and right amygdala. Crucially, using multivariate methods, we show that this activity offers significant out-of-sample classification of treatment response. Our findings support the feasibility and validity of neurocomputational approaches to treatment prediction in psychiatry

PDGFRα signaling drives adipose tissue fibrosis by targeting progenitor cell plasticity

Fibrosis is a common disease process in which profibrotic cells disturb organ function by secreting disorganized extracellular matrix (ECM). Adipose tissue fibrosis occurs during obesity and is associated with metabolic dysfunction, but how profibrotic cells originate is still being elucidated. Here, we use a developmental model to investigate perivascular cells in white adipose tissue (WAT) and their potential to cause organ fibrosis. We show that a Nestin-Cre transgene targets perivascular cells (adventitial cells and pericyte-like cells) in WAT, and Nestin-GFP specifically labels pericyte-like cells. Activation of PDGFRα signaling in perivascular cells causes them to transition into ECM-synthesizing profibrotic cells. Before this transition occurs, PDGFRα signaling up-regulates mTOR signaling and ribosome biogenesis pathways and perturbs the expression of a network of epigenetically imprinted genes that have been implicated in cell growth and tissue homeostasis. Isolated Nestin-GFP+ cells differentiate into adipocytes ex vivo and form WAT when transplanted into recipient mice. However, PDGFRα signaling opposes adipogenesis and generates profibrotic cells instead, which leads to fibrotic WAT in transplant experiments. These results identify perivascular cells as fibro/adipogenic progenitors in WAT and show that PDGFRα targets progenitor cell plasticity as a profibrotic mechanism

The association of golf participation with health and wellbeing:a comparative study

Golf participation is comprised of activities likely to be beneficial to a golfer’s health and wellbeing, including regular walking and social interactions. This study aimed to use a questionnaire to compare physical activity, social trust and personal wellbeing of golfers with National statistics. Furthermore, the study aimed to measure the association between golfers’ physical activity levels and self-efficacy for both golf and general exercise participation. Results demonstrated that golfers reported significantly different physical activity levels in comparison to the population of England. Golfers scored significantly higher on social trust and personal wellbeing compared to the population of the UK and England respectively. Golf and exercise self-efficacy were significantly associated with physical activity. The findings of the study demonstrate that, despite golfers having relatively lower levels of physical activity, golf participation is associated with psychological wellbeing. Coaches, golfers and others promoting golf participation may benefit from the results of this study due to an increased awareness of the possible benefits of golf participation